1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to obtaining, processing, and/or displaying GPS and other types of data from multiple sources. The invention further relates to the transfer of data from a GPS receiver to a computer.
2. Discussion of the Background
People who drive on a racetrack while racing or just to develop car control skills and are interested in improving their performance may use commercially available data loggers with GPS capabilities to record what they are doing. Exemplary systems which may be utilized to capture GPS data on a racetrack include the AIM EVO4 along with the GPS 05 GPS monitor, the TraqMate system with a display such as the TraqDash or the TraqMate Classic, a system from the company Racepaq such as the IQ3 or the G2X, and the MyChron 4 from AIM. Further, GPS monitoring at the racetrack can be performed with software or an app downloaded to a mobile phone such as an iPhone or an Android-based phone such as Harry's GPS LapTimer. The disclosure, operation, and structure of each of these devices are incorporated herein by reference.
Software which is available for use with these GPS devices allows a user to view lap times, the path or route of the vehicle and other sampled data after a session on the racetrack. However, looking at just your own data has its limitations and limited usefulness in determining how to drive faster or better.
The company TraqMate has a section of its website called Share and Compare. This website allows the posting of a raw TraqMate GPS log file and/or video so that others can view your GPS data. However, the service has deficiencies in that only raw GPS log files are exchanged, and the Share and Compare website does not allow diverse types of data files to be uploaded, but only files which were generated by a TraqMate system. With so many types of GPS files in existence, the present inventor has determined that it is quite limiting to share data in a single manufacturer's file format. Moreover, by posting the data file on the TraqMate website, the entire raw file becomes available for everybody to use without restriction. Further, complex software executed on the user's computer is necessary to view the downloaded file, something which may not be available in the paddock of a race track.